by Dave Hurteau

I’ve been meaning to bring this up, as there’s been some disagreement on the subject in your comments here and on other blogs—which is no surprise really, when you consider that different states have different definitions. Some define it as taking game illegally, others more broadly as hunting or fishing illegally. The Michigan DNR actually offers both definitions: “Poacher - a person who hunts, traps, or fishes illegally. Poaching - the illegal taking of fish or wildlife.” Go figure.

Dictionary definitions likewise vary. In a hunting context, Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines “poacher” as “one who kills or takes wild animals (as game or fish) illegally.” My Webster’s New World bound copy has “poaching” as, “to hunt or catch (game or fish) illegally….”

I favor the broader definition. A person should not have to be successful in his attempt to kill game illegally to be called a poacher.

by Scott Bestul

In mid-January I was asked to serve as a judge at the Midwest Call Making competition, held each year in Wisconsin. The contest, the country’s second-largest (the annual NWTF show is bigger), attracts some of America’s top competitive call makers. Contestants enter turkey and waterfowl calls in two divisions; working calls (judged entirely on sound quality and performance), and decorative calls (which mainly look pretty, but they’re also required to make sound). I was one of five judges in the decorative division.

By Dave Hurteau

I know some of you are putting in your fall food plots now, and I just want to remind you to put down a little bird seed while you’re at it. Yes, bucks will be attracted to your rye grass, winter oats, and brassicas—but don’t underestimate the drawing power of thrushes, vireos, and warblers.

By Dave Hurteau

Actually, they are just more educated, but that doesn’t make as good a headline. Besides you’d never know they were better schooled judging by how well all you deer hunters did on this little quiz. As a group, you got only one wrong. Here are the answers, according to data taken from the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s 2009-2010 Industry Reference Guide (available at nssf.org/research/IRG/).

[1] How old is the average deer hunter? Fifty-seven percent of you said 43.3 and that is correct. You know, I’d bet that the average small game hunter was significantly younger than the average deer hunter back when I was kid. Not any more. According to the survey, they are both a tad over 43 years old. The youngest are fox hunters, at 37.5.